Wedding traditions of Taipei
A city that in 2019 became the first in Asia to allow same-sex couples to marry, and where Taiwanese weddings blend old and new customs.
Taiwan's weddings blend Hokkien and Hakka customs, Japanese-era influences and western dress. The gift of betrothal cakes is a custom still kept by many families.
A wedding here
Families exchange the betrothal gifts and cakes, and the groom collects the bride in a car decorated with red. The bride is covered with a red umbrella or a veil, and she and the groom make a symbolic offering of tea. A banquet of many courses follows, with the couple going from table to table.
Where weddings happen
Hotels and banquet halls. The registration is at a household registration office. Same-sex marriage became legal on 24 May 2019, the first in Asia.
The season and the calendar
Many pick a day from the almanac, and the seventh lunar month, the ghost month, is avoided. Valentine's Day and Qixi are popular for registering.
Wedding customs of Taipei
Also part of it, and being written: Qixi Festival (The lovers' festival.), Betrothal cakes (Gift cakes.).
A wedding trail idea for Taipei
- Dihua Street An old trading street.
- Bridal studios around Zhongshan Wedding photography and gown shops.
- Longshan Temple A temple.
- Household registration offices Where marriages are registered.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Chinese pre-wedding customs: Anonymous ( China ) Unknown author, CC0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Taiwan: Guy of taipei, CC BY-SA 3.0, source